Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-17
LIFE IN SING SING.
The Men Who Run 1t and the Prisoners
Who are Kept in It-Fam0Gs Pris.
oners from New York.
Warden Brush, Principal Keeper Con
naughton-A Question to be Solved
When the Contracts Run Out.


natural from the fact of relationship OF
acquaintance with some of its inmates
From its location, so near the metropolis
and on the great lines of travel by Hudson
river boat and railroad, it is still further
made an object of public attention. The
travellers by boat turn from the natural
beauties OF the scene to a closer scrunity
of the great dark prison buildings and the
huddled group OF shops. Eager eyes
peer sharply for & glimpse of NOV
ing figures, and the sight Of q man
in the rough parti-colored striped
uniform is dwelt upon. Those who chance
to see file of ConyIcts in the lOCk-step,
like gigantic caterpillar, crawling with
its hundred legs across the view, are
thrilled by the sight. 1t Is the shock Of
revelation OF the life of 6 prisoner, 8
life IN which individuality is almost en-
tireiy sunk; life IN which passion sur
wives and recollection does not sleep, but
every expression of either is ineXorably
repressed and hope itself cen scarcely
exist. The convict is often said to be
consigned to Giving death" But death
implies forgetfulness, boon the hum
blest, dullest and least imaginative among
them would welcome.
Even the railroad passengers flashing
through the cut between the tunnels on
the prison grounds peep out and are
stirred by q mOmentary glance at the
cold gray walls of the main prison build
ing.
An added interest is taken by New
Workers in affairs at Sing Sing of late on
account of the translation to its secure
retreat of so many conspicuous local fig
ures. The Doodle aldermen, Ferdinand
Ward, Buddensiek and Sergeant Crowley
are among these. Everybody wants TO
see the distinguished prisoners. But
this curiosity is not encouraged. Aside
from the visitors to convicts. as author
lied by the rules, very few callers are re-
ceived. Fewer yet can get beyond the
Office into the prison shops. Parties of
which ladies form q part are never shown
any further than the cell building and the
dining hall, where 1900 prisoners are fed
together.
The people of the state at large have 4
further interest in Sing Sing, connected
with the problems OF prison management.
The objections to the competition of con-
vict labor on contract work against out
side capital and labor have resulted III
the abolition of contract labor in New
York state prisons. NowOrk for account
of the state has been provided for them
in its place, as nearly the same Cb
jeCtiOns 2pply to that. Aside from
the difference in the cost of main
tanning the prisons, this complexities
the question of discipline. When the
contracts expire, what shall be done with
the convicts? Nothing will cause so much
decentralization among them as idleness.
The stove contract at Sing Sing expires
Ia
OF men employed in various capacities.
from the foundry to the finishing room,
VIII be without occupation. Some of
them will have to be transferred to Au-
burn. There is no work for them there
either, but there are empty cells, while in
Sing Sing some cells have two occupants.
The shoe contract and the shirt contract,
which includes only laundry work, are
also about expiring.
The men who have to deal with the
difficult question of maintaining discipline
under these new circumstances are War
den Brush State Detective Jackson, and
Principal Keeper Connaughton. Warden
Brush Is stout, good-natured looking,
administered man. He lives at the
prison, is the executive head of the insti-
tuition, and the link in the business con-
neCtiOn with the state. Detective Jack
son is q slighter, younger man, with
striking face, of which pair of keen eyes
are the prominent feature. They see
everything, but tell nothing, and the eX
preston of his mouth is Lidden by
heavy dropping mOustaChe. He has a
wonderful memory for faces, and iSrelied
upon all over the country to identify any
crooks that are suspected of being eX-Con-
YiCts from New York state. At the prison
his post is to take charge of the room in
which prisoners are allowed once in
three months to see visitors. He must
see that nothing contraband is conveyed
to the prisoner, nothing said that may
furthef any inside plots or plans, and that
no one who has ever been q prisoner en-
tiers the place as visitor. This is a most
stringent rule, and, curiously enough,
frequent attempts are made to evade it.
From the Office of the Warden aud his
clerical force to tina. of Principal Keeper
James Connaughton, the way is through
the prison. Two locked doors and two
armed turkeys are between. When the
prisoner enters the first of theSa doors
ne comes under the almost absolute au-
thority of the man in the principal keep
er's office. His work is selected
for him there, his sell assigned
TO MIN from there, MS cOnQucC is
reported there, and there he is taken
for reprimands or punishments. The
principal" as he is known in the prison,
has been there twelve years, seven of
them in his present office of manager of
everything inside the prison. He lives
on the prison grounds in the building
formerly used as woman's prison, and
yet he is frequently unable to get home
to his dinner, and is often out until IL
O'Clock at night. And yet he is SO sell
dom outside of the guard limits that his
friends say he might as well be
prisoner.
Mr.. Connaughton, from his office and
his power over the 1000 prisoners, is the
object of the most wIde-eyed curiosity to
visitors. They are sometimes actually
surprised into the confession that they
expected to see something different from
ordinary men, with hints of horns or
cloven feet. But they see only q medium
sized man, with iron gray hair and
smooth face. The features are clear cut
and the mouth mobile, though
its predominant expression is one
of tirmness. The eyes are
pleasant in expression, but have pecu-